Rating Rationale
July 03, 2018 | Mumbai
Volvo Financial Services (India) Private Limited
Rating Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Rs.300 Crore Commercial Paper Programme  CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its 'CRISIL A1+' rating on the Rs.300 Crore Commercial Paper of Volvo Financial Services (India) Private Limited (VFS India). S&P Global revised its outlook on AB Volvo (Volvo) to 'Positive' from 'Stable' while reaffirming the ratings at 'BBB+/A-2'. This was based on expectation that the credit ratios of AB Volvo will remain robust supported by improved profitability. Further, on account of strong cash flow over the past quarters, S&P believes that it is more likely that AB Volvo will be able to operate with limited debt over the cycle.

CRISIL's ratings on VFS India centrally factor in VFS India's strategic importance to its ultimate parent, AB Volvo (Volvo; rated 'BBB+/Positive/A-2' by Standard & Poor's [S&P]), and Volvo's strong moral obligation to support the Indian subsidiary, both on an ongoing basis and in the event of distress. The expectation of strong support is based on Volvo's 100% ultimate ownership in VFS India through its financial services arm, Volvo Financial Services AB (VFS) and its subsidiary Volvo Holding Sverige AB, its shared brand, and strong operational linkages. These rating strengths are offset by VFS India's limited track record in the business.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL has factored in the support that VFS India is expected to receive from its parent, AB Volvo.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Strong support of parent, AB Volvo: Volvo views India as a key market. VFS India, being the captive financier of Volvo receives significant business, financial, and managerial support from Volvo, given the strategic role it plays in strengthening Volvo's market share and sales in India. VFS India has considerable managerial and operational linkages with Volvo and VFS, both of which extend management support through representation of their senior management on VFS India board. Volvo has infused equity capital of Rs.324.4 crore in VFS India so far, and is likely to infuse additional capital to support VFS India's growth plans over the medium term. VFS India also benefits from Volvo's global linkages with foreign banks operating in India. VFS India's risk management policies, systems, and processes are in line with those globally approved by Volvo. CRISIL believes that Volvo will maintain its 100% ownership in VFS India. The ownership, shared brand, and strong operational integration lead to a high moral obligation on Volvo to support VFS India.
 
* Adequate capitalization: The capitalisation is comfortable, with a net worth of Rs.318.7 crore as on March 31, 2018. The parent is expected to infuse further capital as and when required. While currently the gearing of the company remains low at 0.7 time, going ahead, it is expected to increase to around 5-6x times in the medium to long term.

Weakness
* Limited track record of operations: VFS India began operations in September 2015 and its loan book remains small at Rs.495.4 crore as on March 31, 2018. The loan book remained stagnant in fiscal 2018 on account of intense pricing pressure and also foreclosure of loan, notably in the trucks segment.  While the current size of the company's operations is small, it is expected to scale up its business rapidly in the near term. Also, the company has become profitable in its second year of operations (fiscal 2017) and reported a PAT of Rs 11.1 crore. However, in fiscal 2018, on account of higher provisioning cost, the company reported a PAT of Rs 5.3 crore. Going forward, the company's ability to scale up business profitably while maintaining asset quality will be a monitorable.
About the Company
VFS India is a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Volvo, which holds it through subsidiaries Volvo Holding Sverige AB and Volvo Financial Services AB. VFS India, a non-deposit-taking non-banking financial company, received an NBFC license on August 28, 2015 and began operations in September 2015. It offers finance to customers and dealers of Volvo. VFS India reported a PAT of Rs 5.3 crore in fiscal 2018. The Sweden based Volvo Group, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and drive systems for marine and industrial applications. It has a market leadership position in heavy commercial vehicles, buses and construction equipments. It has a very diverse geographic outreach with production facilities in around 18 countries and product sales in more than 190 markets. To strengthen its market position, the company has established captive financing arms through VFS in all major global markets. VFS has a presence in 45 countries and employs around 1400 people worldwide. Volvo reported a profit after tax (PAT) of SEK 21.3billion for 2017- against a PAT of SEK 13.2 billion for 2016.
Key Financial Indicators
As on/for the year ended March 31 Units 2018 2017
Total Assets Rs. Cr. 603.8 536.4
Total income Rs. Cr. 64.6 43.7
Profit after Tax Rs. Cr. 5.3 11.1
Gross NPA % 1.54 0.05
Adjusted Gearing Times 0.7 0.4
Return on Assets % 0.9 2.6

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon Rate (%) Maturity Date Issue Size (INR. Crs) Rating Assigned with Outlook
NA Commercial Paper programme NA NA 7-365 days 300 CRISIL A1+
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2018 (History) 2017  2016  2015  Start of 2015
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Commercial Paper  ST  300.00  CRISIL A1+      11-07-17  CRISIL A1+  20-10-16  CRISIL A1+    --  -- 
                16-09-16  CRISIL A1+       
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Links to related criteria
Rating Criteria for Finance Companies
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

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